


Mermaids

by two_drama_nerds_in_a_boat



Series: Bailor's Femslash February 2021 [6]
Category: Lumberjanes
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mermaids, F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29315172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/two_drama_nerds_in_a_boat/pseuds/two_drama_nerds_in_a_boat
Summary: Jo's spent her entire life studying cryptozoology. April's a real-life mermaid.
Relationships: April/Jo (Lumberjanes)
Series: Bailor's Femslash February 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139363
Kudos: 9
Collections: Femslash February





	Mermaids

Jo’s never seen a mermaid before, despite the fact that she’s devoted her entire life to the study of cryptozoology, and it’s a bit of a shock, at first. She really should’ve expected this when her team was called upon to investigate strange happenings in a lake in the middle of the forest, but nonetheless. 

It started, innocuously, with a phone call. Ripley answered it (she likes answering phones, Jo's learned, loves talking to people and pressing buttons and sounding professional) and Molly listened in and wrote down the details of what Ripley reported, little notes about creatures and locations, and they reported back to Jen who told Mal to make a plan of action and get some road maps ready, because "Girls, it looks like we're going to investigate some mermaid sightings." And then they all squeezed themselves into Jen's tiny little electric car, and Mal pulled out an iPod, pre-programmed with a road trip playlist for "Every possible mood, fight scene, or other unlikely scenario" and they were off. Jo loves her team - there’s four of them, including her; Mal Yoo, Ripley Rodriguez-O’Shanassy, Molly Powell, and Jennifer Swift, head of their whole operation. Jo wishes she could say she was lucky enough to find them, but really, they found her - they discovered Jo through her research, the few articles she managed to get published in the few magazines that thought she was sane enough to write for them, and it was all surprisingly smooth sailing from there - in this case, literally. Ever since getting that one phone call and rushing to the lake, they've been out on the water practically non stop. At first, they started off going out all together - Jen likes to know what her team's doing, and she doesn't like letting them out of her sight. They have a tendency of getting into trouble instead of getting evidence, especially when she takes her eyes off of them. But eventually even Jen had to cave, and ever since they've been working in shifts, pairing up in different groups that they hope make the most of their expertise, and going out on a boat into the water.

Jo thought it was odd, when they were called upon by an odd, cryptic woman named Rosie to look into some mermaid sightings, and in the middle of a _forest_ on top of everything else. Jo was always sure that mermaids were creatures of the ocean. Molly explained that, mermaids, in fact, have been spotted in all bodies of water, which might imply the existence of different mermaid species or at least peoples that have adapted to different environments; she has this theory that there are mermaids for every type of water, from salt to brackish to fresh. She thinks that it's also possible they might migrate to lakes during certain parts of the year, using rivers as their tickets inland, something that she's talked with Jo about for hours on end. Well. She's talked _at_ Jo about it. Jo doesn't have much to say. But they've been partnered up for this project, they have the same shift for watching the lake, going out on that small sailboat into the center of the still, dark water. That sort of thing brings people together. And in this case, bonding must include lots and lots of Molly explaining all of her theories, non stop.

Molly’s their expert on myths; at first, Jo thought it was odd to have someone with them all the time just to talk about folklore and superstitions and monsters that could never actually be real. Jo’s a scientist: she’s not one for that sort of thing. (Of course, most people would argue that as a cryptozoologist, Jo can’t judge someone’s beliefs. Jo would argue that she’s not being judgemental; just critical, with a basis in facts. And again, people would argue that as a cryptozoologist, Jo can’t truly use ‘facts’ as an excuse for not believing in something, either.) But Jo's starting to realize how much mythology, folklore, and fairytales interact with natural history, and she's come to appreciate that Molly's so passionate about her areas of study. Especially now that Molly's decided to skip out on this shift to go on a date with Mal, leaving Jo floating alone on a small, rickety boat in the middle of the menacing lake, with not so much as a walkie-talky to use if she needs to call for help. 

And now there's something in the water by her boat, and she doesn't know whether to scream or run or hide and she swears she thought she was braver than this, she's a _scientist_ dammit she was supposed to be prepared for this... she finds herself frozen, hands on the railing looking over the side of the sailboat, trying to figure out what's causing the water to ripple and move. But the water's so _dark_ even in the middle of the day, and she's squinting, trying so hard to discern whatever's going on in the deep that she hasn't even noticed the ripples have disappeared from this side of the boat until something... _someone_ calls to her from the other side. 

"Hello?" A cheery voice shouts. "Hellooooooooo?"

Jo jumps, and runs to grab a camera from the boat's small cabin, before running back out to the deck. The camera's small, disposable, a tacky pink and purple that definitely clash. They bought it at a gas station on their way here, along with a few reels of film. Jo hopes she'll be able to snap a picture of... whatever's calling her from the water. Slowly, she gathers herself, and chances a look over the edge of the boat, to see...

A girl. 

A redhead, probably her age, with bright orange eyes and a bright pink tail and a look of determination that could rival the one Mal got on her face when she was trying to figure out the perfect way to ask Molly out for the first time. 

"You're a mermaid?" Jo asks, unsure whether or not it would be polite to express how shocked she is. "I mean... you're a mermaid. Like. Part fish, part person...?"

"Naturally!" The girl says. "And you're a human, yeah? Rosie said she was calling you guys in." 

" _You know Rosie called us in?"_

"Well _duh._ " She draws the word out like it's the most obvious, plain, _boring_ fact she's ever had to state. "She always tells us before she's going to bring in folks to look at the lake. Now, what was it you guys were meant to be looking at? Fish populations, or something? pH of the water?"

"Um." Jo's trying to keep her voice from squeaking. "I think there may have been a miscommunication." 

"Hm." The girl in the water looks up at her, scales flashing in the sunlight. "Then what is it you were meant to do?" She sighs. "I'm April, by the way. Like the month. Yes mermaids have the same calendar as humans, and the months have the same names. Yes I've had to answer this question enough times that by now it's become second nature. Yes I've met humans before, you're certainly not the first, and you can take pictures with the little disposable camera if you like, so long as you don't toss your trash in the lake like the last few visitors did." She strikes a pose. "Get my good side, will you?"

Jo takes a few photos, speechless. 

"Um. Um, thanks," she says, mustering out a few words as she gets her last picture. 

"Yeah, no problem," April waves her words away. "We get folks like you every now and then, as soon as you leave the Forest you'll realize that you're not actually physically able to take pictures here, or use any modern tech. So the film won't develop anyway. The folks from National Geographic were _pissed_ when they found out... but you're not from National Geographic, are you? Nah, you're just a scientist. Cute one, too." She gives Jo a little wave before diving back under. Jo waits a moment, watching the lake become still once more, before April pops up one final time. "Oh, and can you tell the short one you travel with the stop scaring the frogs? They're sick of being chased around, and they know she doesn't mean any harm and just wants friends, but they're getting a bit tired. Thanks!" And then she's gone, for good this time, and Jo doesn't know what else to do but turn the boat around and head back to shore, where she's sure the rest of her team's waiting. 

She doesn't know _how_ she's gonna explain this to them, but she's pretty sure that no matter how she frames it, it's gonna be hard to believe.

  
  



End file.
